Foreye
by Zetshia
Summary: A new danger stalks the streets of Gotham, can Batman and The Justice League handle it? New 52, Dark themes, adult language, mentions of rape.
1. Chapter 1

Batman hates calling the league for back-up. Gotham is his city, he understands it. The other leaguers are too loud, too conspicuous, too... brightly dressed for Gotham. Especially a certain over grown boy scout who tends to knock over buildings when he fights. Unfortunately, he was going to need help from the primary-colored wrecking crew he calls his teammates to solve this case, so he took a calming breath and began the briefing.

"Thank you all for coming. Two weeks ago Gotham PD began receiving reports of attacks-"

"Wait, Gotham?" Green lantern interrupted. "As in 'stay the hell out of my city' Gotham? _You_ want help in Gotham?" Batman gave the Glowing Green Target a bat-glare that would scare the paint off the walls until Hal began to squirm and mumbled "Not that you _need_ help or anything..."

"As I was saying, two weeks ago Gothem PD began receiving reports of attacks, 15 so far. The victims are different ages, races, and income levels. The only things they have in common is that they are all male and many of them have records of violent crimes against women. In fact, five of the victims' DNA matched samples from unsolved rape cases."

"So what? It's an over zealous new hero who doesn't know Gotham is your town. Go do your 'I'm Batman' bit and chase him off." Aquaman said, annoyed at being bothered with this petty nonsense.

"Whoever is doing this is no hero. The attacks were _rapes_. Someone is raping the rapists in Gotham."

"Eeewww..." Flash said with a cringe.

"That is sick." Hal exclaimed.

"Disgusting." Agreed Wonder Woman.

"How would you- WHY would you... ick" Cyborg couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

"Ok, so not just a misguided rookie then. Did anyone get a good look at the guy?" Asked Superman.

"Yes, several of them did. Each man identified the attacker as himself. Not that he did it to himself, but that another "him" attacked and raped him. My first thought was a shape shifter, but there is also a total lack of physical evidence. No bruises, no trauma, no... DNA. No indication these men were physically attacked. I believe the attacks are telepathic, and the culprit is using his telepathy to track me."


	2. Chapter 2

Superman hovered motionless high above Gotham's financial district. Several miles south he could see the glowing green form of Hal Jordan stationed above downtown, and even farther south, his telescopic sight could catch the occasional glint of moonlight off of Wonder Woman's tiara as she watched over the docks. They'd been in position since sundown, hidden from the people below by a fortuitous layer of clouds. Down below, the Flash was patrolling the periphery of Gotham at speeds faster than the eye could see while back at the batcave, Cyborg was tapped into the GPD's 911 dispatch waiting to alert them if another attack was reported. Aquaman was... well _someone_ had to be on monitor duty at the Watch Tower.

"Ok, Batman just started his patrol in the south." Cyborg announced over the radio. Batman was doing his usual patrol tonight and solving quadratic equations in his head in case someone read his mind. With any luck, their telepathic target wouldn't realize that Gotham was now the safest city in the world. "According to Bats, the suspect always strikes on the opposite side of the city from him so Superman and Green Lantern, you guys need to be on high alert."

"Believe me, 'high alert' is the only state I'll be in as long as that sicko is out there." Hal replied. "Ugh! I don't know how Batman can go on patrol with someone like that stalking him."

"If it was me I'd be hiding under Supes' cape." Barry agreed.

"He isn't stalking Batman, though, he's avoiding him." Wonder Woman pointed out.

"Which is a good sign. I mean if he's afraid of Batman he can't be _that _powerful." Said Hal.

"Man, you're so lucky that Batman is maintaining radio silence." Cyborg observed.

"Ha! Why do you think he said it?" Barry joked.

"Speaking of _radio silence_..." Superman's interruption was met with a chorus of "sorry" followed by silence. Superman relaxed his control on his super hearing and took in the sounds of the city below. A crying baby, boisterous group of drunks, the thumping bass of a car stereo- it was as quiet as a city ever gets down there. The minutes ticked by punctuated by barking dogs, honking horns and the ever-present drone of traffic.

"No, stop! Help! Noooo!"

"I've got screams at the corner of Thirty-second and Elm." Superman reported. As he dove toward the sounds of distress coming from an alley, he could see a man on his back flailing and screaming while a female form knelt by his head.

"Is it our man?" Cyborg asked.

"It's our woman." Clark corrected.

"On our way."

Superman landed right behind her and grabbed her arm-

...

When you can vibrate your molecules through solid matter, there isn't a lot that can slow you down, and even fewer things that can stop you in your tracks, but that's exactly what happened when the Flash sped into that alley.

"Oh god, guys, it's Superman, he's... crying"


	3. Chapter 3

"Is it our man?" Cyborg asked.

"It's our woman" Clark corrected.

"On our way" Wonder Woman assured him and began flying north, following the glowing dot that was Green Lantern. She didn't know Gotham very well and it's pretty hard to read street signs from above. She saw Hal dip into the clouds and did the same, but when she emerged below them he was nowhere to be seen, lost among the blinking shifting lights of the city.

"Oh god, guys, it's Superman he's... crying" The Flash's words made her stomach drop. She cast about trying to catch sight of Green Lantern again to no avail.

"Where?!" She demanded, frustrated.

"Diana, follow me." Bruce's voice came over the radio as he flashed the batplane's searchlight at her. She flew off his left wing, sticking close so as not to loose him. A few moments later, she spotted Barry and Hal standing at the mouth of an alley.

"Where is he?" She asked when she landed.

"Back there." Flash said and peered around the edge of the building as if a hydra was lurking back there instead of his friend.

"And you two just left him there?" She said, aghast.

"Well, I mean..." Hal tried to find the words to convey his extreme discomfort with the situation. "... he's _crying_."

"We _can't_ go back there," Barry explained," What if she got him the same way she got the other men?"

"All the more reason not to leave him crying alone in an alley!"

"And all the more reason why you should be the first to approach him." Batman countered as he arrived from landing the batplane.

"Not you too, Batman." Diana said with exasperation, unable to understand why they were acting this way. Batman made no reply and instead stared stoically at the wall. "Cowards, all of you." She accused and walked into the alley with the other three trailing reluctantly behind her.

She heard the soft keening sobs and saw him on his knees, face buried in his hands, back bowed so much his head was nearly touching the ground. He looked so small. She knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his shaking shoulders.

"Clark, we're here." She said simply. Superman looked up with tears running down his cheeks and reached for her wordlessly. She pulled him into the age-old position of comfort, one hand cradling his head against her chest, stroking his hair, the other rubbing gentle circles on his back. He clung to her desperately as she gently rocked him and cooed soothing nonsense.

As Superman's sobs began to ease, Diana looked over at her teamates to see that Batman had aparently introduced Flash abd Green Lanern to his new friend, the wall, as they were all now staring fixedly at it. Barry risked a glance over his shoulder and started guitily when their eyes met before turning back to the wall.

"Clark, can you tell me what happened? Why are you crying?" Wonder Woman asked gentily when Superman finally quieted.

"It's Charley..." He said between shuddering gasps, "He's dead, and it's all my fault."


	4. Chapter 4

"It's Charley..." Superman said between shuddering gasps, "He's dead, and it's all my fault."

Barry breathed a sigh of relief at Clark's words. It was awful that someone was dead, of course, but this at least was something he knew how to handle. Finding themselves on much more familiar ground, the three men turned and gathered around the two on the ground. Guilt over a death was, unfortunately, something they had all faced at one time or another.

Flash was about to launch into the standard 'not your fault, can't save everyone' speech when he was cut off by Batman's terse "How?"

"He ran in front of a car..." Superman murmured, his tears beginning anew.

Batman shot Flash a glance and he sped off to search the area for the deceased victim. He returned in less than the blink of an eye and shrugged, shaking his head. He'd found no body, no blood, no evidence of an accident. Batman's brows drew together in thought.

"Tell me exactly what happened." Batman demanded. Superman shook his head and burrowed deeper into Diana's arms, hiding his face. "Now, Clark."

"Bruce, can't this wait? You're upsetting him." Wonder Woman chastened.

"No, it can't." Bruce insisted, then to Clark, "Calm down and focus. What happened to Charley?"

Clark took several deep breaths then seemed to steel himself before spilling the entire story in one breath. "We were coming back from a walk and mama let me hold the leash while she got the mail but then Charley saw another dog across the street and jerked the leash out of my hands and... and...it's all my fault!" Superman dissolved into tears again while his teammates looked on in stunned silence. A dog. A fucking dog.

"You're crying over a fucking _dog_?!" Hal exploded, echoing Barry's own thoughts. Superman flinched at his outburst earning Hal a murderous glare from Diana as she resumed cradling Clark like a child. "Jesus, Superman, you scared the shit out of us!" Hal continued, seemingly oblivious to the danger he was in.

"Shut-up, Hal" Flash whispered, then took a few steps away from him when Wonder Woman reached for her sword. He just doesn't know when to quit.

"How could a _dog _pull a leash from your hands?" Good old Bats, always catching the details and distracting Wonder Woman from murdering G.L.

"I held on as tight as I could, but I was just a little-" Clark's brow furrowed, "...girl? No, wait."

Flash and Green Lantern erupted with laughter then dove to the ground when Wonder Woman's sword embedded into the wall behind them.


End file.
